Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Drill passes halfway point in Chile mine rescue bid
September 28, 2010
- Rescue drill is 330 meters down
- The miners have been trapped since August 5
- The rescue could be complete by late October
Copiapo, Chile (CNN) -- Rescuers have bored more than halfway through the earth and rock separating 33 trapped Chilean miners from the surface they haven't seen since early August, a spokesman for the rescue effort said Tuesday.
The so-called Plan B drill has chewed through 330 meters of the 623-meter (2,040-foot) depth required to reach the men, Andre Sougarret, a rescue operations spokesman, told reporters. The miners have been stuck beneath northern Chile's Atacama Desert since an August 5 cave-in and have been awaiting rescue since they were found alive 17 days later.
The men have been surviving on supplies funneled to them from above ground through earlier bore holes, each about 4 inches in diameter. If all goes well, they may be brought to the surface in late October or early November.
The miners have assisted the rescue operation by offering guidance for the drill crews. The initial bore hole for the Plan B drill reached them September 17, and the current operation is aimed at widening that hole enough to allow a man to be lifted out.
Plan B is the second of three options for reaching the group. The assembly of the drill to be used in Plan C has been completed, and a high-tech rescue capsule to be used to pull the men out was delivered to the site on Saturday.
##################################♥amen. Thank You Jesus!
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